"FASTER!" Burnad barked.
The Starless split into their previous training groups with Burnad. Some ran short sprints across the same field that Lucius sparred on, now as if nothing had happened to it. Others stretched and caught their breath.
Their first lesson of the day was with Burnad whose job was to condition the Starless but Ester had a sneaky suspicion he simply enjoyed watching the tiredness disappear from their eyes after his drills.
Ester stretched absentmindedly, her attention drifting between her teammates and the other Starless.
Geire avoided Saphy's gaze as she chatted to him.
Kris watched another group sprint with a candied stick hanging from his mouth while Ezekiel, beside him, was almost certainly talking trash.
Gideon stood with effortless poise among his own group.
And Se'raf…
They simply stood beside her with their arms crossed, silently watching the race. It had been a few days since she was alone with Se'raf and there were still some questions Ester wanted to ask them.
"How...do you find out about me?" Ester began before she could stop herself.
Se'raf glanced at her before looking away.
"Can't say." They said plainly.
Ester grimaced.
"...How do you know Lucius and Arthur?"
Se'raf didn't say anything. No, it was more like Se'raf didn't know what to say.
Before Ester could think of anything else to say, Burnad called Arthur's team forward.
The moment Burnad shouted for them to begin, Arthur exploded forward.
He was already halfway down the track before the others had even left their starting positions.
By the time he crossed the finish line, the second runner had barely reached halfway. Cheers followed when they regained their composure. Ester couldn't help but be impressed by his physical. She found herself eagerly anticipating the day she would be able to move like that.
"...I was in Leria a few years ago when I first met them." Se'raf said still staring as Starless began to surround Arthur, again.
"...Why?"
Se'raf didn't say anything. Still staring with such empty eyes, Ester began to feel her heart beat just a little faster.
She felt she was saved when Burnad called her group up.
They were running two hundred metre sprints. Ester had never been a particularly good runner growing up, but after practising the form Saphy had shown her, she wasn't nearly as nervous about finishing last.
"On your marks."
Burnad raised his arm.
"Get set…"
Ester steadied herself.
"...GO!"
By the time she lifted her head, Gideon was already gone.
He accelerated even faster than Arthur, moving with such frightening precision that it almost looked as though the world around him had slowed down.
Ester stared for just a second too long before she realised she'd stopped paying attention, Se'raf had already surged into second place while two more Starless flew past her.
She crossed the finish line fifth out of ten. The average of the students was about thirty seconds. Arthur did it in less than fifteen. Gideon did it in less than ten. Whilst Gideon was basking in awes and compliments, Burnad didn't share the same excitement.
"What did I say about using Flo?" Burnad marched towards them, folding his arms. "This is pure physical conditioning."
Gideon rested his hands behind his bald head, glancing over his shoulder.
"..You know I can't help it, sir."
Burnad pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Listen up." He turned to the others. "Most Pure Synchrites you come across will be like this idiot." He pointed a thumb towards the confused Gideon. "Only being able to use a specific aspect of Flo manipulation." His gaze shifted towards Ezekiel. "They are specialists… so use that to your advantage."
Ester found herself staring at Gideon, then Ezekiel. One could conjure storm clouds. The other could increase his speed so dramatically it didn't look possible. She quietly wondered how to combat that.
"Next team!" Burnad shouted. "And no Flo manipulation you understand? If I catch you…" A dangerous smile spread across his face. "You'll regret it."
Ester watched Saphy's group step forward as she caught her breath. She gave her a small wave, which Saphy answered with a bright grin and an enthusiastic thumbs up. Geire shuffled beside them, shoulders slumped.
"..Go!"
Saphy burst forward with a surprisingly good start, shifting into the unique running form she had shown Ester. She gradually edged ahead of the others, maintaining a steady pace until another Starless began gaining on her.
The gap disappeared.
Soon they were running shoulder to shoulder, neither willing to give an inch.
It came down to the very end.
The boy threw himself across the finish line first, winning by the narrowest of margins.
A mixture of cheers and groans spread amongst the watching Starless as the rest of Saphy's team crossed shortly afterwards, panting as they did so.
Geire, however, finished dead last with the worst time so far. Burnad stared at him for a long moment before slowly rubbing his forehead.
The next group belonged to Ezekiel and Kris.
The result surprised absolutely no one.
Kris crossed first without so much as breaking a sweat, whilst Ezekiel finished second from last. He looked far more annoyed that Kris managed to show him up than he did about his own placement, which somehow made the whole thing funnier.
After a few more drills, running and strengthening exercises, Burnad finished the first lesson of the day with meditation, telling them all to focus on their breathing for a couple of minutes.
"After taking a short break and changing into your Uniforms, you'll head inside the main HoS building, where you'll continue your next lesson with Instructor Lillia." He frowned as his eyes swept across the exhausted Starless. "All of you… did good work today."
Ester blinked not sure she heard him right.
He coughed.
"Dismissed."
Immediately after he said it, it was as though all the weight and weariness from the drills settled back onto their shoulders as they staggered towards the building.
"Argh...my back…" Ezekiel complained as he stuck his head under a water fountain in the main buildings breezeway. There was more Starred students now that roamed across the Institute. Some wore uniforms, some with armour and Ester saw one with a ferocious winged beast that walked on all fours. It was unnerving.
"That's what you get for never exercising," Kris muttered. He turned towards Arthur, who looked as though he never took part in Burnad's training. "...How are you so physically capable if you're an External Manipulator?"
"O-oh..! Um.." Arthur awkwardly pointed towards the brownish orange mark on his forehead. "Brea repaired my body when I was about to die." He paused. "...It's more of a bonus than anything."
Ezekiel scoffed while the others stared at Arthur with renewed fascination.
"It appears we have two special cases amongst us." He muttered.
The others turned to Saphy, who took a couple of seconds to realise they were looking at her.
"What?...I'm not special."
Se'raf had followed them because of Arthur, who regarded Saphy like something they couldn't understand.
"...You are one of...perhaps five people in this world capable of mastering every aspect of both Internal and External manipulation. Amongst Synchrites, your existence is considered extraordinary."
They tilted their head ever so slightly.
"...Why does that not make you happy?"
"Because…" Saphy looked at them all. "Because…"
Her voice came out louder than she intended.
For a brief moment, only the distant chatter of passing students and the steady trickle of the fountain could be heard.
Ester rested a hand on her shoulder, offering her a small smile.
"...You have insane potential… How about that?" She said quietly.
Saphy weighed on her words whilst the rest of them nodded in agreement.
"I...agree."
The raspy voice drifted up from directly behind them.
Every single one of them flinched.
Geire stood there, staring blankly.
"WHO..?!" Ezekiel almost stumbled backwards. "WHERE… did you even come from?!"
Geire didn't answer his question.
"...Hello, big brother."
Everyone slowly turned towards Ezekiel.
"I'M NOT YOUR BROTHER!" he snapped, pointing frantically at Geire. "H-he's been saying that since this morning!"
Geire tilted his head.
"But...you are..."
Ezekiel looked seconds away from losing his mind.
Kris leaned against the wall.
"Why would you want someone like him as yourbrother?"
Geire looked down.
"...Because he's cool…"
Ezekiel immediately turned his head when they glanced at him.
"I see.." He said. "...So you watched the fight yesterday?"
He looked down again.
"I...overslept."
Arthur couldn't stop himself from laughing.
"Wait…" He wiped the corner of his eye. "Then why do you think he's cool?"
Geire answered almost immediately.
"...He's confident."
Ester couldn't believe this was the same Geire who had threatened them a few days ago.
"...Wait, Se'raf where're you going?" Arthur asked as Se'raf made way for the Starless Building.
"...To change into my uniform before Lillia's lecture…"
"..Oh."